It would be so refreshing if liberals simply came out and admitted their ardor for censoring conservative opinion. Instead, they hide behind transparent ploys such as pressuring companies that advertise with conservatives in media. Either way, their goal is to silence dissent, which they otherwise revere when bleated from them.

Latest example -- the easily irritated kultural kommissars at Daily Kos, along with compatriots from a left-wing pressure group called Credo Action, running an online petition calling on Rush Limbaugh's advertisers to pull their ads from his radio show.

What's most amusing about this particular attempt is its initial unexpected candor, followed by a reversion to characteristic deceit. Under the headline, "Tell Rush Limbaugh's advertisers to stop supporting his attacks on women," the appeal makes this pitch --

Rush Limbaugh's radio program may be dropped from Cumulus Media, the second-largest radio broadcaster in the country. Its CEO recently reported that backlash from Rush's outrageous remarks about Sandra Fluke cost the company millions in advertising revenue.

But the picture is not yet clear. It could be that Cumulus is simply pushing back in negotiations to drive a better bargain for the network. And Rush could be playing hardball because he wants to jump to a better deal with rival stations.

That's why it's so important than ever that we send the message that Rush's hate speech is bad for business.

First time I read this I was surprised that its unnamed author acknowledged that this could be nothing more than the false fronts of negotiating, akin to the war of words between CBS and Time Warner Cable.

But the author then states this -- "That's why it's more important than ever that we send the message that Rush's hate speech is bad for business" -- right after admitting that what is happening between Limbaugh and Cumulus might very well have nothing to do with him maligning Little Bo Peep Fluke some 18 months ago.

"That's why it's so important" to act now, the pitch urges. Not because of what Limbaugh actually said, elevating as it did the obscure Fluke to a prime-time speaking role at the Democratic National Convention last year and rock-star status among credulous liberals. (One sincerely hopes Fluke has somehow managed to prevail over the trauma of it all). This latest attempt maintains the fiction that Limbaugh's criticism of Fluke, a woman who exudes entitlement from every pore, is still an issue that even left wingers deem significant.

What's more important to Daily Kos and Credo Daily is to do what liberals have tried and failed to do for two decades -- silence Limbaugh and remove his perennially incorrect voice from the airwaves.